ROSENEATH, September 2, 1853

    My poor dear John set off to London, to his and my great
    disappointment.  The refusal of the Porte to agree to the Note
    accepted by the Emperor makes the journey necessary.

Lady John soon followed him.

    Lady John Russell to Lady Elizabeth Romilly

    PEMBROKE LODGE, October 21, 1853

MY DEAREST LIZZY,—...  I have never ceased rejoicing at my sudden flight from Roseneath, though its two causes, John’s cold and the Czar’s misdeeds, are unpleasant enough—­but his presence here is so necessary, so terribly necessary, that neither he nor I could have stayed on in peace at Roseneath....  What he has accomplished is a wonder; and I hope that some day somehow everybody will know everything, and wonder at his patience and firmness and unselfishness, as I do....  I trust we may be very quiet here for some time, and then one must gather courage for London and the battle of life again.  Our quiet here will not be without interruption, for there will be early in November a week or so of Cabinets, for which we shall go to town, and at the end of November Parliament may be obliged to meet....

    Your ever affectionate sister,

    FANNY RUSSELL

    Lady John to Lord John Russell

    PEMBROKE LODGE, December 9, 1853

Your letter just come, dearest ...  I don’t think I am tired by colds, but indeed it is true that I think constantly and uneasily of your political position, never, never, as to whether this or that course will place you highest in the world’s estimation.  I am sure you know all I care about is that you should do what is most right in the sight of God.

It may be well to remind the reader at this point of the diplomatic confusions and difficulties which led to the Crimean War.  The Eastern Question originally grew out of a quarrel between France and Russia concerning the possession of certain holy places in Palestine; both the Latin and the Greek Church wanted to control them.  The Sultan had offered to mediate, but neither party had been satisfied by his intervention.  In the beginning of 1853 it became known in England that the Czar was looking forward to the collapse of Turkey, and that he had actually proposed to the English Ambassador that we should take Crete and Greece, while he took the European provinces of Turkey.  In Russia, hostility to Turkey rose partly from sympathy with the Greek Church, which was persecuted in Turkey, and partly from the desire to possess an outlet into the Mediterranean.  The English Ministers naturally would have nothing to do with the Czar’s proposal to partition Turkey.  Russia’s attitude towards Turkey was attributed to the aggressive motive alone.  Nicholas then demanded from the Sultan the right of protecting the Sultan’s Christian subjects himself, and when this was refused, he occupied Moldavia and Wallachia with his troops.  England’s reply was to send a fleet up the Dardanelles.